Telecommuting Is a Reasonable Accommodation, Court Says

Telecommuting has officially had its day in court! The good news is that it came out on top in this landmark decision, with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that telecommuting is a reasonable accommodation for workers who can’t make it to the office, and that simple “face time” isn’t a good enough reason for someone to be required to be in the office.

Telecommuting is a reasonable accommodation.

The ruling is interesting because it essentially overruled the employer in the case, Ford, which was being sued by an employee because the company said she could not work from home because face time in the office was essential to her role. The employee, Jane Harris, requested the option to work from home up to four days a week because she’d developed a severe syndrome making going into the office difficult.

According to a report on NPR called “Present but Not There: Ruling Supports Telecommuting,” the court decision “makes clear not all jobs can be done from home.” But it acknowledges that the workplace is no longer limited to an office building. “The law must recognize that the workplace is anywhere an employee can perform her job duties.”

What does this mean for employees?

Well, according to employment lawyers, they expect many more employees to request the option to work from home, with the ruling making it that much more difficult for employers to deny such requests.

This doesn’t mean you can just drop by your boss’s office to ask to work from home. If you decide you want to request this type of work flexibility, be sure to prepare. We have several articles with tips on how to pitch your boss on working from home: